


Synthetic Heart

by Demon_Apostle



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Apologies, Cybernetics, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 12:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7977439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demon_Apostle/pseuds/Demon_Apostle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate fanfic to Our Colors where no one dies and there's fluff everywhere.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Synthetic Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this story from some comments on my other fanfic Our Colors where Hanzo didn't die and becomes a bit of a cyborg instead. It's not much but I do believe it still counts. If you haven't, I recommend reading the fanfic this was made from so you know what's going on.
> 
> I own nothing.

Hanzo wasn't sure what death was supposed to feel like. He had never experienced it before so of course he didn't have prior knowledge of what to expect the moment he finally, as McCree would have said, punched his ticket. Pain was an entirely different matter, something he understood very well. Hanzo figured he was supposed to feel something when he died, maybe even see a white light like some believed, but he didn't see or feel anything. It almost felt like his body was… floating? Levitating? Hanzo knows he's dead because he was sure… sure of what again? Why did he know he was dead?

 

Hanzo found he couldn't really remember anything. Nothing came to him and he didn't know if he was actually dead or not. Maybe that's why he didn't see some bright light or be welcomed into some sort of heaven and just floated in murky blackness that didn't feel like anything. He had no sensation or perception of time so all Hanzo could do was float and wait. Something was bound to happen and if it didn't, then there wasn't really much he could do.

 

Finally, Hanzo did end up feeling something. It was a heaviness, like his limbs were weighed down. There was no sensation of bindings, just a feeling of gravity working against his body. Noise was the next thing to greet Hanzo in the blackness. It thankfully wasn't loud, more muffled and he couldn't make out anything being said. It was definitely a voice, that much he knew but he couldn't tell whose. Lastly, Hanzo saw light. It wasn't bright, to which he was grateful, but it was still there. A small light that gradually grew until it enveloped his vision and the blackness was gone.

 

Beeping was the first thing he heard when he finally woke up. It was familiar and Hanzo was sure he'd heard something like it before. It wasn't an alarm, that he was sure of, because the beeping was too far apart. Voices were next, both female and male, as far as he could tell. Who they belonged to, Hanzo wasn't sure of but he wanted to find out. That meant he had to open his eyes that were still closed. So he did, hissing at the sudden brightness and white taking over his vision. He tried again only to groan in frustration when the white didn't lessen at all. The two voices he heard stopped and it sounded like a quick rhythm of heels rushing towards him.

 

“Hanzo? Are you awake?” He knew that voice.

 

“D… doctor…” Christ, what happened to his voice? Hanzo nearly winced at the croak that came out of him, clearing his throat as a reflex and trying again.

 

“Doctor… Ziegler…” It didn't sound much better but there was a bit of improvement. How long had he been out to make his voice sound so cracked?

 

“Thank goodness.” He hears her sigh in relief and the bedding under him dips a little at his side.

 

“Are you in any pain? Does anything hurt?” Hanzo wondered why she sounded so urgent with her questions but figured he'd get an answer soon enough. He just had to be patient. Hanzo shook his head and heard yet another sigh of relief.

 

“Good. Very good. Now you were trying to open your eyes, correct?” Hanzo nods.

 

“Then do it slowly. Too fast and the light will overwhelm your vision. Do it very carefully and stop when the light becomes too much.” Hanzo did as the doctor instructed him, inching his eyes open and waiting until they adjusted to the light of the room. It was some time before they could fully open and Hanzo was already feeling the effects of too much sleep. He really would like to know how long he had been out for and why he felt heavy. To satiate his curiosity, Hanzo looked over and noticed Torbjörn standing a bit away from them and frowning deeply. Then again, when did he not look like that? Satisfied to know who was talking, Hanzo cleared his throat again and tried asking once more.

 

“How long… how long was I asleep?” Angela looks a bit startled by the question, like she was expecting him to ask something else, and the conflicted look she has worries Hanzo. Finally, she looks at him but doesn't smile.

 

“You have been asleep for a little over two months.” Hanzo blinked and tried to process the information. Two months. What reason did he have for being asleep that long? Angela already seems to understand what he wants to know.

 

“Do you remember anything?” Hanzo thinks for a moment trying to dig up any memories that would help.

 

“A mission… Talon… they had taken Jesse and we-” His eyes widen and he turns to Angela.

 

“Jesse. Where is he? Is he alright?” His whole body relaxes when the doctor nods with a small smile.

 

“He's perfectly fine Hanzo. We managed to get him back from Talon.” A weight lifts from Hanzo and he relaxes back onto the cot, wondering why he feels something is slightly off. He tries to remember again, that they infiltrated an abandoned facility and searched for McCree. Hanzo had found him and informed the team when… McCree shot him. Hanzo's eyes widened as he remembered that McCree had been under enemy control and shot him. Then why was he not dead? Hanzo looks at Angela again and she seems to already know his question because she doesn't give him time to ask.

 

“By all rights you should be dead. Luckily, the others managed to bring you back in time for me to… fix your wounds.” He didn't like the way she paused and hinted something. What did she mean by 'fix’? Hanzo tried to look down at where he remembered getting shot only to have a breathing mask obstruct his vision. How long had that been there? He tried to look again but found a medical gown covered most of his body, including the areas he had been shot on his chest and side. His right arm, on the other hand, was uncovered and he saw a small circular scar where one of the bullets went into his arm. It wasn't very big and he didn't need to worry about it being visible anyway. But now he just had more questions and wondered exactly where the cowboy was.

 

“Where is Jesse now?” Angela doesn't seem hesitant to answer as she smiles normally.

 

“I sent him to get some food. He practically starved himself refusing to leave your side in case you woke up. He should come back fairly soon. In the meantime, I think it would be best if I told you exactly what I had to do.” Hanzo nods since he would also like to hear how the doctor kept him from dying. Angela grabs a data pad from the nearby table and begins to tell Hanzo all she had to do.

 

“Firstly, the shot to your arm wasn't harmful in the slightest. It missed major arteries and the muscle is fine. The only indication of any damage is the scar as you saw. Next, the shot to your side. It came close to hitting one of your kidneys but luckily there was no irreparable damage. Everything it did hit healed nicely and shouldn't give you any trouble. The shot to your chest, however…” Angela bit her lip but continued to read at Hanzo's patient expression.

 

“The wound was fatal. It hit your heart, busted a major artery, and also grazed your lung. There wasn't much I could do to repair the damage unless… I had to implant you with some cybernetics.” Angela waits for Hanzo to absorb the new information, wondering if he'll have a violent reaction, but he stares at her with a blank face before looking towards the ceiling.

 

“I see. Please continue.” Angela quickly nods and looks at the data pad again.

 

“The cybernetics were attached to your heart and lung. They were designed to expand with the organs so there shouldn't be a problem. I also managed to reconnect the artery as well. Just think of it as a high-tech pacemaker.” Angela tried to relieve the tension with a little humor but it didn't seem to do much. She instead went back to reading and explaining what she did.

 

“There shouldn't be any problem with the cybernetics, but I will need you to come in for check ups every now and then to make sure you're taking well to the enhancements. If they manage to get damaged in any way, you'll need to come to me immediately.” Torbjörn then chimes in, raising his claw and waving it.

 

“Or me. Those implants weren't done in one day.” Hanzo agrees with the orders and thinks about what he was just told. He has now been implanted with cybernetics because he nearly died. If anything goes wrong, he will if Angela isn't there to fix it. Hanzo can't help the strange feeling he has at knowing he's a little closer to Genji now, in some weird and twisted way. He wonders if this was how Genji felt when Angela told him what happened, disbelief with bitter acceptance.

 

The door then opened, a soft hiss as it slid and all three looked to see McCree walk into the room. His head had been downcast at first, hat covering the top of his face so Hanzo couldn't see him properly. When he finally looked up (Hanzo noting that the man was frowning), his eyes met Hanzo's and he stopped. Disbelief was evident on McCree's face and Hanzo continued to watch along with Angela and Torbjörn as disbelief changed to happiness to a hint of guilt. Hanzo wasn't sure what McCree would do, and maybe it was to be expected that the cowboy wasn't too keen on getting over excited with joy at the man he nearly killed. His lover no less. There was a heavy silence until McCree figured he should say something so it didn't seem like Hanzo being awake affected him negatively.

 

“Glad ta see yer awake. I'm assumin’ Angela told ya the details of… everythin’.” Hanzo nodded and noting that he was starting to feel guilty himself, staring at McCree instead of announcing his own relief, the archer smiled and motioned the man to come closer. McCree did as he was told, taking careful steps as he approached the cot and stood next to Hanzo.

 

“I am glad to see you are alright. I was worried… worried Talon had fully taken you.” McCree chuckled, but it wasn't light-hearted like Hanzo was used to and that worried him.

 

“Angela managed ta undo what they did by flushin’ me of those nanobots. I'm just right as rain.” _But I can't say the same for you_ is what Hanzo read on McCree's face. The grim smile gave him a glimpse into the man's thoughts, McCree who was normally able to hide whatever he was thinking by smiling like the world was at peace. Now, it just served to make him like an open book, Hanzo knowing exactly what this cowboy felt and thought when it came to this moment, to the archer. Hanzo saw it all, guilt, hatred, sadness, practically every negative emotion Hanzo has dealt with his entire life. It looked wrong on McCree and the archer wanted nothing more than to make him smile like he always did, laughing at his own bad jokes and acting like there wasn't a care in the world. Hanzo looked at the other two in the room, flicking his eyes between them and the door briefly as a silent plea to ask for some privacy. Angela thankfully understood and motioned Torbjörn to follow as they both left the infirmary. He was now alone with McCree and there was no time like the present to get back his stupidly happy boyfriend.

 

“You are not 'right as rain’. Something is bothering you.” He watched McCree from his peripheral and noticed the tension in the man's body once Hanzo had said that. McCree looked ready to bail but a look from Hanzo made him sit in a nearby seat instead, looking like a child ready to be scolded. Hanzo thought it was a fairly accurate interpretation at the moment.

 

“Tell me what's wrong. I can not help if you do not talk.” McCree looked very reluctant to say anything but knew from past experience that trying to keep things from Hanzo wouldn't end well, even if the archer was bedridden at the moment. So the cowboy took a shaky breath and said what was wrong.

 

“I… I'm so sorry darlin’. At the facility… when ya were rescuin’ me, I saw it all. I was under control of the nanobots but I still saw it and… I was so scared. Ya didn't know and I had no way ta tell ya, warn ya that I wasn't myself. Then I attacked ya, pulled my gun out and aimed it at ya and… I shot ya. I sh-shot ya and I couldn't stop it. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I almost k-killed ya Hanzo. I… I just…” The tears fell freely as McCree remembered nearly ending the life of Hanzo, even if he was under enemy control. Just thinking about it, how he came so close to killing the love of his life, McCree can't even begin to think about what would have happened to him afterwards. The thought alone is enough to nearly shatter him, the what ifs that came with the whole ordeal. What if he had really killed Hanzo, what if Jack and the others hadn't gotten there in time, what if he ended up permanently switching sides and screaming on the inside for the rest of his life. There are so many possibilities that he doesn't want to venture too far into because he knows they didn't happen and thinking about them would only make McCree feel worse.

 

“Jesse, listen to me when I tell you this. You may think you are to blame, but that is far from the truth. You were being controlled. Just know you are not at fault and I will tell you that as many times as I need to.” McCree wiped his eyes and looked at Hanzo who was staring at him with a scowl. He shook his head and exhaled, ignoring how shaky his breath was.

 

“Yer right. Damn, I know yer right. I guess it shouldn't really matter now since we're both alive.” Hanzo nodded and smiled. Silence fell between them but it was comfortable this time and not awkward. As Hanzo was given a moment to think, something occurred to him and he looked back at McCree.

 

“Where is Genji?” He remembers his brother was there for the mission and probably ended up seeing the aftermath of what took place in McCree's cell. Hanzo can only imagine what that must have felt like for Genji, seeing his brother near death by the hands of a good friend. Hearing Genji's name made McCree frown and rub the back of his neck.

 

“Probably with Zenyatta? We've been keepin’ our distance from one another since the mission. I wanted ta make sure ya were fully healed and I think Genji's been focusin’ on meditatin’.” Hanzo sighed and realized he might have to end up being the mediator between his brother and lover. He laughs at the thought since it was months ago that McCree was doing the same for the brothers, trying to remedy the bad blood that had been created. Now it's Hanzo's turn but he'll most likely have a much easier time with McCree and Genji since both aren't as stubborn as he is. They're close but Hanzo knows he's worse.

 

“Angela tell ya how long yer gonna be in here?” Hanzo shook his head.

 

“No but I should probably be allowed to leave soon. I have apparently been asleep for two months. Everything should be healed fine, especially with the new cybernetics.” Hanzo didn't miss the twitch on McCree's face but he didn't say anything about it. They may have come to a mutual understanding but getting over the whole ordeal will definitely take time.

 

Thankfully, time is something Hanzo has once again, thanks to the efforts of his teammates.

\-----

Like he had thought, Hanzo was released from the infirmary within a matter of days after a few checkups by Angela to make sure nothing would go wrong. He was now accompanying McCree to the cafeteria where the others should be having dinner. When they arrived, Hanzo was surprised by everyone who was there invading his personal space and saying they were happy he was alright. McCree just laughed behind him as he watched, something the archer was definitely going to pay him back for. After the congratulations were done, they both got food and made plans to visit the training room afterwards. McCree wasn't very keen on the idea but relented when Hanzo insisted he make up for lost time. Just as they were close to being done, Hanzo noticed movement by the door and looked up in time to see Genji walking into the room. When their eyes met, Genji stopped and silence began to fill the air. Hanzo could practically feel how tense McCree was beside him and figured he needed to do something to dispel the strained atmosphere that now overtook the cafeteria. He stood, motioning McCree to follow as he pressed a button on the monitor to clear his plates, and began to walk past Genji.

 

 _“Come. We shall talk in the training room.”_ Quick Japanese was said to Genji who watched the couple leave and went to follow after a few seconds. They were silent during the walk, Hanzo keeping his eyes forward while Genji and McCree looked at anything but each other. When they finally reached the room, Hanzo didn't stop and went straight for the bow and arrows.

 

“Grab a weapon. We will do some team simulations.” Both McCree and Genji stayed where they were, seemingly dumbfounded by Hanzo suggesting they do team exercises. They spared a glance at each other before Genji stepped forward and tried to speak.

 

“Brother, I-” He was cut off by a sword meant for digital enemies being tossed his way and looked up to see Hanzo giving him a stern look.

 

“After we train.” Genji was reluctant but didn't say any more and walked towards the center to wait for the simulation to start. McCree wasn't going to try and argue or ask questions so he merely went for the gun specifically designed for simulated kills. Hanzo went to the controls, input an enemy number and a situation before starting the simulation. Three hundred enemies attacking them in a small town. Digital buildings were made, solid to the touch and Hanzo started climbing while McCree and Genji started looking for enemies lurking around corners. McCree took the first kill, an enemy gunman who had just ran into his line of sight. Genji took the next, another gunman who didn't even know he was there. McCree watched as Hanzo killed a sniper aiming for the cowboy then shot another arrow in the opposite direction. He smiled at the save, body quickly reacting and shooting an enemy that seemed to be trying to sneak up on Genji. When the cyborg turned to take care of the digital person and saw it disperse into code instead, he looked at McCree, stared for a moment, then nodded in thanks before continuing the fight. McCree smiled a bit and did the same, Hanzo watching from his perch with amusement. His plan was a success.

 

In no time, every enemy had been killed, McCree whining about Hanzo putting too many into the simulation while the archer just scoffed. Genji didn't seem to mind, just slightly looking out of breath but that could have been McCree's mind playing tricks on him. Finally, Hanzo put back the bow and arrows before turning to Genji.

 

“Now we can talk.” Hanzo waited and watched Genji who just stood there, trying to figure out what to say. After a few seconds, he put the sword back and quickly embraced his brother in a soft hug.

 

“I am so happy you are alright.” McCree watches the exchange as Hanzo, who instead of looking shocked, smiles a bit and hugs Genji as well. He remembers how they were when Hanzo first arrived, the archer practically refusing any form of interaction and looking like it physically pained him to be in the same room as Genji. He's happy for the major improvement to their relationship despite the rough start and stubbornness of both brothers. When they finally part, Genji turns to McCree and bows his head.

 

“I would like to apologize for my insensitivity. I avoided you, wrongfully so. I… I was upset and needed some time for myself.” McCree smiles and shrugs.

 

“Ain't nuthin’ ta be sorry for. I'm also guilty of bein’ distant when I shoulda just talked ta ya instead.” Genji chuckles and turns back towards Hanzo.

 

“That was sly brother. But thank you.” Hanzo gives him a victorious grin.

 

“You both have meddled with my affairs plenty. I was simply returning the favor.” McCree lets out a bellowing laugh and goes to sling his arm over Hanzo's shoulders.

 

“Oh man, what would we do without ya, darlin’?” Hanzo shrugs but he does think of a reply that he won't say out loud.

 

_Luckily you won't have to find out._

\-----

The next morning, Genji and Hanzo are meditating together since Zenyatta had matters to attend to in Nepal. They sit next to each other in the room, incense smoking and making the air smell of pine. Neither have moved for a while until Genji looks over at his brother, eyes staring at the tiny scar on Hanzo's chest. It's one of the few scars Hanzo has collected over the years, the three bullet scars now totalling five not counting his missing legs. Five small reminders. Genji still doesn't know how he feels about it being in plain sight, a reminder to all about what nearly had been and even what hides under the skin. Cybernetics much like his, that keep Hanzo alive and able to fight. Genji knows that without it, his brother would die and that frightens him. Genji is covered in cybernetics, knowing that one hit won't take him down that easily, but one wrong move on Hanzo's part and his heart will stop entirely. The possible situations in which it could happen startle the cyborg so much that meditation is now an afterthought until Hanzo breaks the quiet atmosphere.

 

“Have you suddenly forgotten how to meditate?” The question is almost insulting to Genji and he huffs in playful annoyance.

 

“Says the man who did not meditate for ten years.” It's Hanzo's turn to huff and he opens his eyes to look at Genji.

 

“Then why do you keep staring at me?” Genji hesitates to answer before pointing towards Hanzo's chest.

 

“Does it bother you? Having cybernetics implanted to keep you alive?” The cyborg wondered if the question was a bit insensitive and was about to apologize before Hanzo cut him off.

 

“A bit, yes. It is rather… concerning knowing that I now need the help of machinery to keep my heart beating. But I accept that this is the outcome. It is still insignificant to what you had to endure.” Genji won't deny that statement but he won't make Hanzo feel any worse about what he has become after their fight. Both have reconciled and built their relationship again so there is no need to reopen old wounds. Genji looks away and stares at the smoking incense stick instead.

 

“We are alive and together. That is all that matters.” Hanzo has gotten over being shocked by the wisdom his brother now shows and just nods in agreement. Genji is right, they are alive, have rebuilt their bond, and no longer need to worry about the clan coming between them and fracturing it again. Even if Hanzo now needs to live with enhancements inside of him, he has his brother, McCree, and the rest of his friends in Overwatch. He can handle a bit of machinery in his body.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to those who gave me the idea and I love you for reading and enjoying what I write. Even if it does kill you on the inside.


End file.
